Sherborn police probe new leads in woman's 1977 disappearance

Friday

May 19, 2017 at 7:33 PMMay 20, 2017 at 9:29 AM

Jim Haddadin Daily News Staff @JimHaddadin

SHERBORN — After putting out a call for help, detectives are following new leads in the disappearance of a local teenager who vanished more than 39 years ago while hitchhiking from her job in Natick to Martha’s Vineyard.

Sherborn Police Detective James Godinho said the department is pursuing “legitimate, live and viable leads" that emerged last year after news coverage brought new attention to the case of Simone S. Ridinger.

The 17-year-old was last seen leaving work at the former Rainbow Room in downtown Natick on the afternoon of Sept. 2, 1977. Ridinger planned to travel to the Cape to spend Labor Day weekend with her mother, but never arrived.

After reaching a dead end decades ago, Sherborn police began actively investigating the case again about three years ago. They were assisted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which circulated information to the press.

After an article about Ridinger’s case appeared in the Daily News, police were contacted by a range of people who knew the teenager, including family members, friends, coworkers and Ridinger’s former classmates, Godinho said.

"Sure enough, we got some people to come forward as a result of that article,” he said, “and through conversations with those individuals, we've kind of stumbled upon some very interesting details concerning that case. Some details that are brand new, despite it being a 40-year-old case."

Ridinger lived with her family in Sherborn until August of 1977. Family members described her as a free spirit, who was positive, trusting and always looking to make friends, Godinho said.

She had been an on-again, off-again student at Dover-Sherborn, and made the decision that summer to drop out. She moved to an apartment on Linden Street in Framingham and began working as a waitress at the Rainbow Room, located in the building that most recently housed Bakery on the Common in Natick.

On the last day she was seen, Ridinger left work around 3:30 p.m. Godinho said she intended to hitchhike down to Martha’s Vineyard, where she would meet family members for their annual summer outing.

When Ridinger didn’t arrive, Godinho said her family was concerned, but didn’t immediately suspect something was amiss. It wasn’t unusual for Ridinger to stay out with friends, though she had been looking forward to a vacation on the Cape, Godinho said.

Family members ultimately contacted police on Sept. 11, 1977, after they arrived home and realized Ridinger was gone. The nine-day lapse put detectives in a more challenging position, Godinho said.

“I think they did what they could,” he said. “They talked with some people that they felt would have information, and obviously … they came up with some dead ends. Unfortunately, it never resulted in, at the very least, the discovery of where Simone may have wound up or may have intentionally gone to."

Ridinger remains classified as a missing person, though her decades-long absence suggests foul play was involved, Godinho said.

After picking up the investigation around 2014, Godinho said he reached out to the FBI for assistance last year. A poster released in April by the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program features an image of the smiling, 5-foot, 2-inch tall teenager posing for a photograph, her strawberry blonde hair falling around her shoulders.

Ridinger was known to wear bracelets, rings and turquoise stones, and was dressed in blue jeans with rips and patches, a white T-shirt and white, high-top sneakers on the day she disappeared, according to the poster. She was also toting her waitress uniform in a gray duffel bag.

Godinho said investigators hope to make contact with anyone who might have additional information about the case, including former coworkers, roommates and neighbors who lived around Linden or Melrose streets.

They also encourage anyone who remembers giving a girl a ride from Natick to the Cape on Labor Day weekend to get in touch.

"It really comes down to exhausting every lead,” Godinho said, “no matter how big or small."

To provide information, contact the Sherborn Police Department at 508-653-2424 or email jgodinho@sherbornpolice.org.

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin